Giddy Up! Whoa!

Through sheer naïveté, Obama has frittered away the chance to settle the Israeli – Palestinian question. Now he has to clean up the mess he helped make.

When nothing seems to be moving forward in the Middle East, it’s instructive to think back to James Baker. Fed up with the dead end negotiating in the summer of 1990, he reminded the Israeli government of the White House telephone number and added, “Call us when you are serious about peace.”

Frustration and the temptation to flee have plagued every negotiator in what is arguably the world’s most complicated conflict, and at times retreat looks like the only way forward. Incidentally, the number Baker mentioned is still in service today: (202) 456-1414. Shouldn’t U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell have given that same advice to Jerusalem and Ramallah on the occasion of his empty-handed departure on Sunday?

Throwing in the towel would undoubtedly be a strong temptation for Washington. The two sides are stubborn, the situation has deteriorated and Barack Obama just had to admit he would abandon his high-flown plans for the region.

He claimed to have underestimated a few of the problems, and therefore probably raised expectations too high. That analysis is correct. But besides displaying an astounding penchant for truth, he also revealed a shocking naïveté, and it is precisely this naïveté that is largely to blame for the continuing problems.

The Nobel Laureate not only promised more than he could deliver, he has also run a zigzag course that resulted in driving the two sides into positions that impede new negotiations. First he encouraged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to demand Israel cease all further settlement development in the West Bank as a precondition for peace negotiations.

Then he suddenly decided to support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to cease construction in the West Bank, but to accelerate settlement construction in East Jerusalem. In doing so, Obama squandered much of his credibility and authority in the region.

But there can be no question of a withdrawal – the president is obligated to clean up the mess he has made. He has to put forth a clear plan and show that he means to see it through to completion. The region is too explosively charged for America to permit the regional players to set their own rules. Hamas and Hezbollah also represent an Iranian threat regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A peaceful solution is thus in America’s best interests.

But it’s pointless to keep sending George Mitchell as a supplicant on the same bizarre mission to negotiate as if negotiations were possible. Obama has to take an active part; he needn’t wait for Netanyahu or Abbas to call him at the White House. He can easily summon them to do so.